This is the Buckeye Burl that mom and I picked out for your bass. First, for the top:

and then the back:

So, at first, it might seem better to reverse which is the top and back, but since there are no knobs or electronics on the back, and you've got continuous wood backplates, I thought it might be nice to keep the more blue/cream that you requested on the front.

These are successive slices from the same slab. You can see the similarities, but also you can see how abruptly some of the figuring changes in just a small thickness.

Great choices Mica. I cannot wait to see what it will look like with finish!

Actually, it's a bit too nice, because now I just can't bring myself to ruin that grizzly bear on the back. If it's not too late, please change my order to BTC on the back as well. I'll post this in the changes / aditions section also.

Mica, I've got to say that I'm speechless! Thanks very very much for the update. I've just got to say what a great feature this is, to be able to see the bass in the various stages of being built is very special indeed!

King, yes I'm getting the Omega. The accent laminate is Purpleheart. Hadn't thought of using cocobolo there, that sounds like it would have been really sharp though! Here's the specs:

I think that's everything. I've never owned or even played an Alembic before, and I'd really like to thank Susan for helping me through the customization process, and making it a LOT of fun. I have a Tobias Signature 5 string (pre gibson) and a Spector USA NS5XL as my current main basses. I really like both of them, especially the Tobias as the 35" scale of the Spector is a bit long for me, but when the oppertunity came to order my "dream bass" I decided to go wiith Alembic,and I'm already really glad that I did. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

That looks like a piece of inlaid bark to me, which I really like the look of. Mica was telling me that often those pieces aren't stable enough to leave in, and in those cases they either inlay another piece or if it's small enough fill it with finish. Looks like in this case the area was stable enough to leave